'Explosion' reported at Rockstar's GTA HQ as emergency services are called to the scene
Emergency services have responded to an incident where an explosion was reported at the Rockstar North office in Edinburgh, Scotland, the lead studio for the Grand Theft Auto developer.
While a developer as large and significant to the industry as Rockstar Games understandably has numerous offices scattered across the globe, many consider its primary base to be in Edinburgh — around an hour and a half away from the original DMA Design offices in Dundee.
The Edinburgh office is home not only to Rockstar's biggest studio from a staff perspective, but the lead creative force behind the Grand Theft Auto series, which is especially relevant right now as the developer edges closer to the finish line for GTA 6.
However, as reported by the BBC, emergency services were called to Holyrood Road on Monday morning after reports of an 'explosion' at the Rockstar North office, with the incident occurring at around 5 a.m.
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Six fire engines were dispatched to the scene by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and crews were eventually stood down over four hours later at 9:21 a.m., with thankfully no reports of casualties as a consequence of the explosion.
"I can confirm that we got at call at 5:02 a.m. this morning," explained a spokesperson for the Fire and Rescue Service. "We mobilized three pumps and four of our specialist appliances. It's an ongoing incident and we're still in attendance at the moment with other agencies."
As per Dexerto, reports on the ground appear to indicate that the explosion came from a boiler room, although the exact circumstances that led to the incident have not yet been confirmed.
Additionally, the building itself has understandably suffered structural damage as a result of the blast, with no information at the present moment as to what condition this leaves the offices in.
Many have been left frustrated across the last year as two separate delays have left Grand Theft Auto 6 feeling increasingly further away from reach, yet most would understand if this incident caused further issues that previously staff reportedly indicated had persisted despite the previous announcements.
The Rockstar North office had recently been in the news after dozens of employees were fired for allegedly leaking company secrets, with the developer indicating that the dismissal was due to 'gross misconduct, and for no other reason'.
Over 200 existing staff members signed a letter asking for their former coworkers to be reinstated, but the Glasgow Employment Tribunal issued a blow to efforts in denying a request for interim relief.